Electric furnace.



D. R. KNAPP.

ELECTRIC FURNACE.

APPLICATION m50 ma. I9. isms.

Patented Sept. 18, 191.7.

ED 'STATES PATENT QFFICE..

DAVID) B.. ENAP?, OF POTTSVILLE, IENNSYLVANIA: AYSSIGNOR T() TBE EASTERN STEEL mm, .OF POTTSVILLELPENNSYLVANIA, A. COBYOBATION CF PENNSYLVANM ELECTRIC FUBNACE.

emesso.

Beit known that I, DAvxn R. KNAPP, a citizen of the United Statesz residing -in PottsvillePin the county of Schuylkill und' ennsylvania, have invented cer-A State of tain newand 'useful Improvements in E1ectric Furnaces, of which the following is a specification.

. My invention relates to that class of furn acslknpwn as the induction b clp or renn std, an my 'o jects Stfto e used prinpower as when s'ubjected'to an even normal' temperature, and4 at which said h1 h temso peraturo ,will eliminate other un csirablc elements. 4 v

Withfthese objectsjn view, my invention consists "in -certain novel features of con struction nd Erranmont of parts, as will ss hereinefter more ly be described and' pointed out in the claim reference being had to the accompan rawings" forming part thereof, and in wh1ch Figure l 1s a'. sectional elevation showing 4o the principal parts.v Fig. 2 is a plan partly in section on the line A-B. Fig. 3 is u view showing the trunnion on which the furnace is su ported; and Fig. 4 is' an elevation showing guides to prevent the furnace from 4s revolving. Fig. 5-is a detail in side elevation showin v the guides-,removed from the path of the iurnacc spider.

In said figures similar numerals of reference refer to similar ports throughout the 5o several views and in which the numeral 1 desi te's nthe iron-magnetic circuit enerth'e coil 2. I 3 designates e circular briel'structurc of the @insee in which-is the annular trough 4 Speculation o! Letters Patent..

Adiameter as the furnace e .in a circumferential direc-f temperature by in` Patented Sept. 18,1917.

Application ma rebiuary ia," me. suis.: no. 79,351.

designed to hold the metal to be treuted. This construction is a type of induction furnace well known to the hrt.

5 designates e circula-r plate as large in ement and upon which the furnace rests.

6 designates a spider provided with a recessed'boss it t bottom thereio andsalid spierisaa tosu rt e late5 which is fixedpthereto. PPO

7 designates a circular element Iitted into the said recess and adapted toxtate therein..

9 designates a supporting rovided with a recessed base and 10'des1gnntes a circular rack fixed thereon. The upper portion of said base 9 is ivotally connected to the circular 'element 7 y the pin 8, shown in Fi 3.

esignates a base -for the furnace as a whole and said base is provided with.the vertical guiding members 16 adapted to embrace the legs of spider to revent the fur? n nace from rotating during tphe refining operation. v

21 designates-a. removable securin mens for fastenin the guides 16 to the ase 15. In case the urnace is desired to be revolved the guides 16 could be thrown out so that the spider 6 would disengnge therewith. In order to provide for this action, each of the guides 16 is mounted upon a suitable pivot 22- and when the guldes are in positiou'to Erevent movementof'the furnace, each is xed in its uprivht position by inserting a dowel pin 23 orethe like... Ther'emovalofj the pins .lpallows the ides to be swung to oneside and out of t e path 4of the fur? nace spider 6 as will be readily understood.`

This movement can he accomplished if desired, for instance, to pour a heat or'any portion thereof'on any radial line.

14 designa tes a circular' element or beuring rigidly fixed ,to the base 15 and adopted.

to fit into the recess of the supporting cast ings 9`which is revolubly mounted thereon.

13 designates n drivin by the bearing 12, and sui driving shaft has the pinion 11 fixed' thereon, cngagingwith said circular rack 10.

1.9 :lesignstes u righthaud screw pivotally 4 fixed to l no circular element 7, a`nd 20 desig- A notes u. left imnd screw fixed to the supporting casting 9.

designates a ,nut in threaded engageshaft supportedment with both screws and adapted to tilt the furnacesl bymoving the circular clement 7 on the pivotpin 8.

17'designates a tapping spout, and 18 designates a slag spout as found on metal -furnaces.

Having described the various parts throughout the several views its mode of operation will be substantially as follows, :all of which will be readily understood by those skiiled in the art to which the invention relates: i

The furnace being adjusted on a level plane hy adjusting the nut. 2l the charge is placed in the annular trough 4 at which time the metal will have the sau'ic cross section tln'oughout. 'l`he .coil Q being aufliciently energized will induce enough current i the circular bath to bring the metal up to predetermined normally low tempera- This temperature will he sullicicntly b*to remove, m the case (-E steel,thc undesn'a l, elements of,silicon,phopl1orus, sulfur la d manganese to desirable qluantities,

but 1 t the earbon, as it is dcsirah e to hohl the ca bon so that the manganese eo-acting with the carbon can remove the sulfur. ln order 'to remove the carbon and bring the metal up to a. high-temperature the furnace 'is tilted b adj'usting the nut 21 which will increase t e area to C-D on one side and reduce the area to Ff-F on the other side.

The resistance of the bathlwill remain ap proximately the same,du toincrcasing the area on one side and decreasing it on the opposite side. Therefore thencurrent will 'remain the same. The restricted area will now come up to a very high temperature and at the same time power being applied to the shaft 13 Vwill cause thecircular element 7, nw tilted, 4to rewilvle. The furnace being held by the spider 6 and guides 16 from revoli'ingcwill'cause the heated metal to have soO a wave I ikemotion, vincreasing each particle to a very high temperature and gradually reducing until the minimum is -reached, when the cycle is repeated until the whole bath has been subjected to .a high temperature and the desirable results are obtained. It is'obvious that the metal now being in motion will bring it in intimate contact with 'the slag and thus remove further the undethe furnace will again assume thc aforeture of steel in which molten pig iron and slag elen'ients are added to the charge left in the furnace after each operation, through the spout 1b, but a cold charge could be added instead of molten pig iron, provided. the` furnace was provided with suitable doors,

thus accomplishing the aforesaid objects of in invention. I do not want to limit myse f to the exact structure of the furnace as shown, as it is obvious that certain departures can be made therefrom withoixt deso parting from the spirit andA intent of my said invention and the furnace shown is only by way of example to explain my relining method as well as one form of appa! ratos for cari-ying out the same. As far as 35 1 am' aware, 1 am the first in the art to devise a method of refining metal-wherein one of the steps embodies a. variation in the cross-sectional area. of the metal being reiined in such a manner that withthe same rate of power different temperatures may be produced in different partsor strata 'of the metal and such temperatures definitely controlled in a predetermined manner.

It will further be noted that the step of e5 varying the dess-sectional area of diflerent parts of the same body of metal and thereby producing a high temperature at one part and a low temperature at another part of the metal, is n. very important and essential 10( feature of the invention inthat it now be. comes possible to vary nr adjust the area of the metal being refined fdnfa high or low umiperature and thus meet different conditions and properties existing in ditl'erent 105 metals. Y l

Having now described mymventlon what .I claim and desire to protect hy Letters Patent is:

1. In an induction furnace of the clirac- 11g ter described, a fixed hase, a supporting casting revolubly mounted on said base, means for rotating said'supporting casting, u. cir cular element supported by a trunnion on said supporting casting, means for varying the plane of said circular element, a furnace revolubly mounted on said ,circular-element., and means to'prevent the furnace from rotating, substantially as described.

an electric furnace, a crucible or trough for containing a bod of metal,

means for heating,r the metal an( for varying the croasjsectio.- ..1 area of the metal whereby the temperature of one portion of the metal is raised and the temperature of another portion is loweled and means to adjust the I area varying means.

3. In an electric furnace a Crucible or trough mounted forrotary movement and adapted to contain a body. of metalhmeans for heating the metal, means for producing a .maximum cross-sectional area of metal at ohepart of the trough and a minimum crosssectlonal area of metal at another part of the trough and means for simultaneously varying the location of said maximum and minimum areas.

4. In an electric furnace, an annular trough mounted for rotary movement and adapted to contain a body of metal to be refined, means` for heating said metal, means to prevent rotation ol' said furnace during the refining operation and means to cause the said metal to vary in cross-sectional area throughout the length' of said trough.

5. In an electric furnace, the combination of a rotatable Crucible or trough for containing a body of metal to he refined, means to lock said furnace against rotation, means to produce o cireumferentially oscillatingnr movement to said trough in its locked position and means operable at will for releasing'said furnace whereby rotary movement may be imparted und the metal discharged in any radial direction.

In testimony whereof l have subscribed my name to this specification in the presence of two subscribing witnesses.

DAVID R. KNAPP.

fitnessesz MAn'rlN L. DUNN, CLAYTQN A. HILL. 

